Animal Farm

Naomi Wolf: The coming drone attack on America

"People often ask me, in terms of my argument about 'ten steps' that mark the descent to a police state or closed society, at what stage we are. I am sorry to say that with the importation of what will be tens of thousands of drones, by both US military and by commercial interests, into US airspace, with a specific mandate to engage in surveillance and with the capacity for weaponization – which is due to begin in earnest at the start of the new year – it means that the police state is now officially here." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNaomi Wolf: The coming drone attack on America

Ex-police officer pleads guilty in murder-for-hire scheme

"He was the ringleader of an 'elite' Special Operations Section that ransacked homes without warrants and shook down drug dealers for hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash. On Tuesday, former Chicago Police Officer Jerome Finnigan, wearing an orange jump suit and shackles, admitted to those crimes as well as to the most outrageous charge — that as an officer, he ordered a hit on another cop. But as part of his plea deal made public in federal court on Tuesday, Finnigan pleaded guilty only to the murder-for-hire charge and to a tax charge; an agreement where he would see no more than 13 years in prison for his crimes." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEx-police officer pleads guilty in murder-for-hire scheme

FBI is investigating former Utah trooper Lisa Steed

"The FBI is investigating former Utah Highway Patrol Cpl. Lisa Steed for civil rights violations, an attorney said Sunday. Michael Studebaker said 10 of his clients recently spoke to FBI agents. He said his clients have not been asked to speak to a grand jury. Steed has been accused of arresting people for DUI who were sober. Two judges have found Steed lied on the witness stand." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFBI is investigating former Utah trooper Lisa Steed

Two women sue Texas Troopers for illegal roadside cavity search

"A federal lawsuit filed by two Irving women claims that Texas State Troopers humiliated them by performing illegal cavity searches on the side of the road after a cigarette butt was thrown out of their car window. Dashcam video shows Helleson searching the anuses and vaginas of both women with the same latex gloves in full view of other passing cars. And then the trooper performed the same procedure on Ashley Dobbs without changing gloves." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTwo women sue Texas Troopers for illegal roadside cavity search

Two-Track Corporate Justice Is Not the American Way

"State and federal authorities decided against indicting HSBC in a money-laundering case over concerns that criminal charges could jeopardize one of the world's largest banks and ultimately destabilize the global financial system. Instead, HSBC announced on Tuesday that it had agreed to a record $1.92 billion settlement with authorities. The bank faces accusations that it transferred billions of dollars for nations like Iran and enabled Mexican drug cartels to move money illegally through its American subsidiaries. The case raises questions about whether certain financial institutions, having grown so large and interconnected, are too big to indict." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTwo-Track Corporate Justice Is Not the American Way

Highway Robbery, Cajun Style

"After Tina Beers was stopped for a suspected traffic violation, the officer conducted a search of her minivan because she appeared nervous. He found a large amount of cash that had been bundled in rubber bands and shrink wrap. He claimed that the method of packing the cash suggested that it was drug proceeds, and confiscated it. No crime was committed, no charges were filed, there was no probable cause for the seizure -- but because the money was wrapped in a certain way, and the female driver was nervous in the presence of an armed tax-feeder, the highway robbers in uniform get to keep the cash." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHighway Robbery, Cajun Style

Highway Robbery, Cajun Style

"After Tina Beers was stopped for a suspected traffic violation, the officer conducted a search of her minivan because she appeared nervous. He found a large amount of cash that had been bundled in rubber bands and shrink wrap. He claimed that the method of packing the cash suggested that it was drug proceeds, and confiscated it. No crime was committed, no charges were filed, there was no probable cause for the seizure -- but because the money was wrapped in a certain way, and the female driver was nervous in the presence of an armed tax-feeder, the highway robbers in uniform get to keep the cash." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHighway Robbery, Cajun Style

Drug-sniffing Dogs and their Handlers

"Please remember this video the next time someone says, 'Well if you have not done anything wrong, you don’t have anything to worry about.' The officer admits putting illegal narcotics on cars randomly around town–enough to have a dog 'alert' to anyone’s car, whether they have ever used drugs or not. This isn’t an officer 'caught on tape.' The officer readily admits that this is what he does." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDrug-sniffing Dogs and their Handlers

They Can Do That?! 10 Outrageous Tactics Cops Get Away With

"The cops can do almost anything they want, and often the most maddening tactics are actually completely legal. There are many reasons for this, but three historical developments stand out: the war on drugs provided the template for social control based on race; 9/11 gave federal and local officials the opportunity to ensnare Muslims (and activists) in the ever-increasing surveillance and incarceration state; and a lack of concern from the public at large means these tactics can be applied, often controversy-free, to anyone who resists them." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThey Can Do That?! 10 Outrageous Tactics Cops Get Away With

Family of American subjected to indefinite detention pleads for international human rights review

"The family of Jose Padilla, an American citizen captured on U.S. soil and held without charge by the military as an enemy combatant, filed a petition with the Organization of American States (OAS) on Tuesday seeking a human rights review of Padilla’s treatment. Padilla and his mother have maintained for years that he was tortured while in U.S. custody, including being forced into stress positions, being kept awake for days at a time and being fed LSD and PCP against his will. The Bush administration ultimately claimed he was engaged in a plot to blow up a so-called 'dirty bomb,' but he was never charged with such a conspiracy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFamily of American subjected to indefinite detention pleads for international human rights review